Where should i go?

S

sisk61

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Jun 24, 2011
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Hey everyone, My dad and I have planned to go out west soon to hike, camp, and all that fun stuff. At the moment, we are set on going to Zion National Park, but I grew up in the woods... and i like trees... so Im having doubts about going there, although everyone seems to enjoy it. So what are some recommendations?? If you could go anywhere out west to hike or backpack, where would you go? or wheres your favorite place? Ive never been out west, and ive always wanted to go to Colorado. but i just want to know what else is out there!

Thanks!
 
Rapid City S.D
Sturgis (bike week), Black Hills (ridiculous hiking), Custer State Park, Badlands, Deadwood (casinos), Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Devils Tower, Lake Sylvan. Lots of wooded, prairie, desert hiking. Lots of critters, bring a Kbar,lol. Everything is within an hour or two of Rapid City. You could spend two weeks trying to see everything. Zion is remote and deadly hot in the summer.
 
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mwhich50 said:
Rapid City S.D
Sturgis (bike week), Black Hills (ridiculous hiking), Custer State Park, Badlands, Deadwood (casinos), Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Devils Tower, Lake Sylvan. Lots of wooded, prairie, desert hiking. Lots of critters, bring a Kbar,lol. Everything is within an hour or two of Rapid City. You could spend two weeks trying to see everything. Zion is remote and deadly hot in the summer.
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Thanks! i will look into that!
 
Sisk61, I've lived in Utah for the last 21 years (from Cali) and know a lot of Central Utah, Cedar City, Escalanti and in between. Central and Southern Utah has been my play ground since scouts. Feel free to email me for more information.

IMO If you want great scenory with Meadows, trees and way cool rocks, check out Central Utah, and Sanpete County. The Ephraim District of the Manti La-Sal National Forest is my back yard. If you want easy trails that are pretty check out Grizzly Gulch up Canal canyon which is South of town. Maple Canyon which is acrost the Valley from me. Fishing, go up Fairview Canyon.

Something you should know about Central Utah. There is a Road called SkyLine Drive. It's about 70 miles long, runs along the top of the mountain rain from High way 6 to the north and Interstate 70 to the south. Skyline drive connects all the canyons on this side (East side) of Sanpete Valley. If you went up Fairview Canyon which is a paved Highway, you will find lots of lakes/reservoirs to fish in or boat/raft on. Then you can take a 4x4 along Skyline drive to Spring City or Ephraim canyons and come down. The top of Fairview canyon is about 8,500 feet where it hits Skyline. But up Spring City Canyon Skyline drive sits at over 10,500 feet. The tallest Peak in that range is South Tent Mountain which is up Spring City and Canal Canyons (just south of the main canyon, hiking, biking and horses only, no driving past the trail head).

Huntington Reservoir which is one of my Favorite places to camp up Fairview Canyon sits at about 9,000 feet. Back in the 1980's when a crew was doing repair work to the Dam they un earthed a Wolly Mamoth. A replica of the ramains are housed in the Fairview Museam of History and Art at the mouth of the canyon. If you follow this like, you can see pictures that I took 3 years ago at Huntington Reservoir: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.355234163131.194014.579568131&type=3&l=23df254e64 I try to camp there every year in the summer or fall. Our Mountains have lots of Aspens, Fir and Spruce. Maples are quite abundant in some areas also. Lower elevations have Scrub oak (a dwaf oak), Juniper, Pinion Pine and along the creeks you'll find Elms, Popler and others.

Maple Canyon is a great place for Rock Climbing and people come from all over the world to climb Maple Canyon. Like I said earlier, hiking and camping are great there also. There are cool rock formations, caves and plants to check out. Foot/bike trails and some jeep trails too. North of There is Mount Nebo which is the Tallest peak in the Wasatch Range and it's 100 feet or so taller then South Tent. Great hiking, camping, fishing and Backpacking in the Mt. Nebo Wilderness Area. I also try to do Nebo once a year if I can.

In Southern Utah There is Goblin Valley and close by there is Little Wild Horse Canyon. I like to camp in the BLM land between the two. Here are pictures from one of my 3 trips down there in 2009: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150714433353132.467206.579568131&type=3&l=9b3d458b80 And here are some of Little Wild Horse Canyon from a college trip I did in 2002: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.88270768131.103703.579568131&type=3&l=25fdd4d187

If you want to Camp and Backpack in and around Sanpete County, let me know. I'd be more then happy to show you around. I've hiked and back packed all over the mountains here and will be doing a lot of trips here this summer.
 
You mentioned Zion NP in your other thread so I thought I would talk about that part of the state. Lived in Cedar City for a year when I was a kid. Loved going Hiking up the canyon, also I've hiked in and around Hurican, Leeds, Saint Goerge and Zion NP. There are so many cool things to seen in Zions. Also that whole area is amazing! If you want to see more Trees and tall mountains head north an hour to Cedar City and go camping up there. Amazing! Here in Central Utah we have formations caused by Glaciers, Up Cedar City canyon and most of southern Utah south of there was formed by Volcanic eruptions. There are some really cool water falls, rock formations and tons of trees up there.

Duck Creek is a resort comunity up Cedar City canyon. It's really pretty. The road from Cedar to Duck Creek washed away so you had to come from the back side and Highway 89 to get there. Road should be fixed by this summer though... Cedar BReaks is a Ski resort turned town up there on the Cedar City side, roads are good to there. There are sand Dunes south of Hurican (spelling is off)......

If you want more info on anything, let me know.
 
sisk61 said:
Hey everyone, My dad and I have planned to go out west soon to hike, camp, and all that fun stuff. At the moment, we are set on going to Zion National Park, but I grew up in the woods... and i like trees... so Im having doubts about going there, although everyone seems to enjoy it. So what are some recommendations?? If you could go anywhere out west to hike or backpack, where would you go? or wheres your favorite place? Ive never been out west, and ive always wanted to go to Colorado. but i just want to know what else is out there!

Thanks!
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I'd recommend one of the national forests in Colorado, since you like trees. The summer is heavy tourist season but if you stay clear of designated/organized campgrounds and parks and get into the backcountry away from the roads, it should be easy to find solitude and true adventure. And you'll find the summer climate quite pleasant at higher forested elevations.

Parts of Northern New Mexico are very similar, but with fewer people.

Utah is indeed very beautiful and undoubtedly completely different from your Alabama experiences. Still, I'd recommend against it during the heat of the summer.

If you're 'stuck' with a summer (tourist peak in the mountains, and discouraging heat in the deserts) travel date, maybe consider the northern Rockies: Montana and Wyoming? Few people, millions of acres of public land, and incredible outdoor wilderness opportunities.
 
Thanks guys. Ive always wanted to go to Montana, but I havent done any research on hiking up there.

Being an Alabamian, Im used to weather around 90 degrees with a humidity around 80% all summer. Not sure how the Utah sun is!

Thanks, Heber! I might shoot you an email once we get more serious about where we are going. Im really into bushcrafting, even though im still learning, so id like to experience the different plants and such.
 
sisk61 said:
Being an Alabamian, Im used to weather around 90 degrees with a humidity around 80% all summer. Not sure how the Utah sun is!
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I've worked in the hot dry deserts of Southern New Mexico in the summers, and I've spent years working in the Arkansas forests.
Truth is, 95 degrees in the desert is more comfortable than 80 degrees in the sweltering humidity that you're familiar with.

The difference, hiking in Utah or other remote desert areas you could often find yourself days away from water. Heck, I've worked for weeks without ever seeing a shady spot. ;)

And "dry heat" or not, 110+ degrees is HOT. (Record high temp in Utah is 117)

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I was in Pennsylvania last week. Walked outside around noon after being underground for several hours (mine). It only took a couple of minutes to be soaked with sweat, and it felt like I was breathing steam. Thought it must have been 90 degrees... it was 76. :D
 
sisk61 said:
Thanks, Heber! I might shoot you an email once we get more serious about where we are going. Im really into bushcrafting, even though im still learning, so id like to experience the different plants and such.
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Speaking of different plants a friend and I head up the canyons frequently to check the status of wild edibles and various other plants and trees. There are lots of useful plants in our mountains.

When you figure things out, let me know. I know a lot of Central and Southern Utah. :)

Bob W said:
I've worked in the hot dry deserts of Southern New Mexico in the summers, and I've spent years working in the Arkansas forests.
Truth is, 95 degrees in the desert is more comfortable than 80 degrees in the sweltering humidity that you're familiar with.

The difference, hiking in Utah or other remote desert areas you could often find yourself days away from water. Heck, I've worked for weeks without ever seeing a shady spot. ;)

And "dry heat" or not, 110+ degrees is HOT. (Record high temp in Utah is 117)
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The Dry heat sure is nicer then the humidity. Here in Central Utah it's not the normal Desert. Our Mountains have lots of Trees and are really green. The Valleys are big meadows with grass and sage brush, at least in my part. . . To get the really deserty places, one has to head to South, West or East of here. And those area can be quite pretty also. Boulder Mountain is really pretty and covered in trees but the Valleys are the typical desert land scape.
 
Yes, as my buddy Bob said, summer is tourist season here in Colorado. It's not too bad, though, as long as you don't get stuck behind some idiot going over the mountain passes at 20 mph in his RV.

But. It does happen. Ahem.

Lots of beautiful country here, and trees, too. I like the Vail/Beaver Creek area for "civilization," but there's good camping/hiking in the area also. Check out the Holy Cross Wilderness Area nearby.

If you want something even more remote, the Uncompahgre Wilderness Area in the San Juans is second to none. It's the largest wilderness area in the continental U.S. But be warned, it really is remote. They don't even allow vehicles in most of it.
 
If u go to southern Utah I would suggest the area somewhat around St George....close to Zion, Bryce, Red Cliffs......and my favorite place in south Utah is Pine Valley, outside St George about an ~hour.

Enterprise Reservoir is also a great place to camp/hike/fish with some nice big pines. Go on up the the Upper reservoir, the Lower is hot and desolate.


http://www.utah.com/stgeorge/pine_valley.htm

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dixie/recreation/wateractivities/recarea/?recid=71229&actid=78

The area around St George is great, I lived there from '89-'97. It's desert but it has a beauty all it's own. I suggest everyone visit the desert at least once.
 
wildmanh said:
Boulder Mountain is really pretty and covered in trees but the Valleys are the typical desert land scape.
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It was a while ago, but I was on a month-long desert survival course in Utah, a mix of backpacking/hiking and stationary 'class' segments. The trip started on Boulder Mountain, and we hiked from there down into the canyons. The trip was in Sept-Oct and our water bottles froze on Boulder Mountain. At least we had water to start though; the "spring" locations on the 1920 topo maps were 'unreliable' (no water), and it took three days to hike down to the Escalante.

But I get your point though. People often have the same misconceptions about New Mexico, that it's just a bunch of rocks, sagebrush, and sand. When in fact we have peaks up to 13,000' elevation where snow can be found until July, heavily forested mountains, trout streams and lakes, and lush valleys. Of course we have plenty of the sand-rocks-sagebrush too. ;)

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If driving distance is a factor, the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest might be the geographically closest area to Alabama where you'll find high mountains and summer-friendly climate.

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/southwestern/ValleVidal/index.shtml
 
Samael said:
Yes, as my buddy Bob said, summer is tourist season here in Colorado. It's not too bad, though, as long as you don't get stuck behind some idiot going over the mountain passes at 20 mph in his RV.
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Those people are easy to escape though, just leave the pavement. :)
 
I'm sure you know I love Zion(if you don't know, click on my profile for threads started), but I have no intention of ever going back during tourist season. One of the reasons I love it is that it's the opposite of here. I don't want to see the same thing on vacation...
If I had to start over, I'd definitely go to Zion, and do La Verkin Creek/Kolob Arch/Beartrap Canyon, the West Rim, and the Narrows dayhike. Putting it off 'til fall would be better than summer, IMO.
This fall I'm planning a trip to the Weminuche Wilderness in the Colorado San Juans for more of a "real" backcountry experience, instead of spending half my nights in hotels. Google that, and see what you think. The 4 Pass loop(Maroon Bells) is what I was originally considering, but I was afraid there would be lots of people there.
There's so many places to check out. I'm going back to Utah in early spring to check out some stuff near Zion, and looking at Rainier, Grand Tetons, Glacier, and on and on for later, though I'm just as likely to spend more time in Colorado, since I suspect I'll love it. Should have gotten into this stuff 20 years ago...

Btw, the warmest day I've hiked at Zion had a high of 79, so I don't know what it's like with some real heat, but I wear whatever I want there most of the time. I've hiked in a short sleeve cotton t-shirt in the 30s, and wore the same L/S Capilene 1 shirt under an unlined softshell jacket at 79 that I had on in the 20s another morning, with no complaints about either. The lack of humidity is fantastic, but you sometimes need a brimmed hat, 'cause you're not hiking under tree cover like here.

Now I've got to go google that Pine Mountain place thrillbilly was talking about!
 
Thanks so much guys! These recommendations are amazing.

So should i not go during the summer? I was kinda hoping to go on a trip soon, but from what you all have said, the tourist season is no fun. Is there any place during the summer that is still somewhat remote, but also awesome? A year or two ago, My family and I went to Gatlinburg for the 4th of July..... talk about crowds... i dont even know where to start.
 
There are always remote areas with no people, even on the biggest vacation holiday.
"Tourist Season" in the west is probably nothing at all like 4th of July in Gatlinburg. Just stay clear of the big-name parks and tourist towns, and get some distance into the backcountry.
 
Yeah, what Bob said. Avoid the big national parks and you'll mostly be OK. We bitch about the tourists, but it's not really that big a deal.
 
Yeah, Ive always found that if you hike a mile into a trail, all the tourists seem to disappear! Im really starting to get interested in Utah. It just seems exotic to me. Itd be nice to experience a different landscape! Plus, the Narrows of Zion look really cool!!
 
Sisk61, Yesterday afternoon a friend and I went on a hike up Saw Mill Fork off of Spring City main canyon. It starts at the Spring City Canyon Picknick area and camp ground and heads straight up the mountain to almost the top. The canyon/ravine passes some cool rock formations, groves of trees and other land marks. Round trip from the parking lot to forest road 1080, then along there to the canyon road and back to the parking lot was about 3 miles. Instead of coming out of the ravine on forest road 1080 we could have taken the right fork in the trail and come out in a meadow below Hay Stack Mountain. It's a really cool natural formation on the side of the mountain there. Looks like a hay stack.

Anyways, I personally think that you and your dad would love exploring the area. Here are some pictures from yesterdays trip: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151021816173132.497710.579568131&type=1&l=44ad65d322 Check them out!
 
wildmanh said:
Sisk61, Yesterday afternoon a friend and I went on a hike up Saw Mill Fork off of Spring City main canyon. It starts at the Spring City Canyon Picknick area and camp ground and heads straight up the mountain to almost the top. The canyon/ravine passes some cool rock formations, groves of trees and other land marks. Round trip from the parking lot to forest road 1080, then along there to the canyon road and back to the parking lot was about 3 miles. Instead of coming out of the ravine on forest road 1080 we could have taken the right fork in the trail and come out in a meadow below Hay Stack Mountain. It's a really cool natural formation on the side of the mountain there. Looks like a hay stack.

Anyways, I personally think that you and your dad would love exploring the area. Here are some pictures from yesterdays trip: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151021816173132.497710.579568131&type=1&l=44ad65d322 Check them out!
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Wow! great pictures man! It seems like Utah's landscape is very diverse! Beautiful!
 
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